Mark Twain Middle: math

The shaded band is this school's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical student just meets the state standard. The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Standard Met" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2015 from sb_ca2015_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	32,996	2457.0	− 2552	−95	× 170 / 584	−27.7
7	32,997	2480.9	− 2567	−86.1	× 206 / 584	−30.4
8	33,000	2474.9	− 2586	−111.1	× 208 / 584	−39.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−98

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,209	2478.9	− 2552	−73.1	× 186 / 581	−23.4
7	31,212	2467.4	− 2567	−99.6	× 181 / 581	−31
8	31,214	2493.5	− 2586	−92.5	× 214 / 581	−34.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−89

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,771	2486.6	− 2552	−65.4	× 251 / 600	−27.4
7	31,773	2480.6	− 2567	−86.4	× 181 / 600	−26.1
8	31,774	2465.7	− 2586	−120.3	× 168 / 600	−33.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−87

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,808	2486.2	− 2552	−65.8	× 222 / 644	−22.7
7	31,810	2502.5	− 2567	−64.5	× 245 / 644	−24.5
8	31,812	2481.0	− 2586	−105	× 177 / 644	−28.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−76

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,985	2517.6	− 2552	−34.4	× 260 / 717	−12.5
7	31,986	2490.2	− 2567	−76.8	× 226 / 717	−24.2
8	31,987	2494.7	− 2586	−91.3	× 231 / 717	−29.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−66

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	32,012	2519.2	− 2552	−32.8	× 282 / 823	−11.2
7	32,013	2537.9	− 2567	−29.1	× 267 / 823	−9.4
8	32,014	2527.6	− 2586	−58.4	× 274 / 823	−19.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−40

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	32,069	2505.5	− 2552	−46.5	× 320 / 876	−17
7	32,070	2527.7	− 2567	−39.3	× 284 / 876	−12.7
8	32,071	2536.3	− 2586	−49.7	× 272 / 876	−15.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−45

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,935	2528.9	− 2552	−23.1	× 323 / 923	−8.1
7	31,936	2531.1	− 2567	−35.9	× 317 / 923	−12.3
8	31,937	2540.3	− 2586	−45.7	× 283 / 923	−14
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−34

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	31,794	2560.3	− 2552	8.3	× 310 / 957	2.7
7	31,795	2547.3	− 2567	−19.7	× 331 / 957	−6.8
8	31,796	2547.2	− 2586	−38.8	× 316 / 957	−12.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−17

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −98, −89, −87, −76, −66, −40, −45, −34, −17 → −61.3
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 9 · 2016→2017: 2 · 2017→2018: 11 · 2018→2019: 10 · 2019→2022: 26 · 2022→2023: 5 · 2023→2024: 11 · 2024→2025: 17 → average 11.4
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 11.4 × 2.66 = 30.3. Upper limit −31, lower limit −91.6.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.